Google today sent out and is prominently advertising coronavirus tips from the World Health Organization. It follows other efforts as the company recognizes the “unprecedented moment” and its responsibility as an organization with tremendous reach.
On the surface, this PSA push is not too different from when Google adds a message to the bottom of its homepage and Chrome’s New Tab page. They usually cover holidays or new product launches.
Today’s features a red stop sign with animated counting hand. The concise message is “Do the five. Help stop coronavirus.” Clicking performs a search for “coronavirus tips” with the top result being a card labeled as a public service announcement and “General public health information.” From WHO and Google, it’s like posters that you now frequently see in the real world. “More info” takes users to WHO’s “Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) advice for the public” page.
- HANDS Wash them often
- ELBOW Cough into it
- FACE Don’t touch it
- FEET Stay more than 3ft apart
- FEEL sick? Stay home
The other way people are arriving to these coronavirus tips are through a very prominent Google Search app notification that the company is pushing this morning. We’ve encountered it on all our Android device. It features a ‘G’ icon in the status bar and again reiterates how to “Help stop coronavirus” and “5 things to start doing now.”
Google said this effort is to “promote greater awareness of simple measures citizens can take to prevent the spread of the disease.” The biggest way it can do this is by “promoting authoritative information” through its over billion-user Search and YouTube platforms. Other efforts include:
- Alphabet’s DeepMind hopes to aid researchers with AI insight into COVID-19 virus structure
- Google developing ‘nationwide’ coronavirus information website with US government
- You can donate to support coronavirus relief efforts w/ Google Play Store
- Play Store suggests apps to ‘stay informed’; about coronavirus as search still disabled
- Google making premium Hangouts Meet free for G Suite to help combat coronavirus
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